Hardships of a Nuzlocke
by ScarletFoxx
Summary: A Nuzlocke journey is never easy and is always full of tradegy, the question is are all the deaths really worth it or did you precious teammates die in vain?


**_Hello everyone I'm ScarletFoxx! This is something my Nuzlocking friend who claims she can't write begged me to write so I decided to post it as well, I hope you enjoy!_**

**_Disclaimer~ Pokémon does not belong to me, even these characters don't so please don't sue me!_**

**_Hardships of a Nuzlocke_**

I didn't expect it, then again I never had in the past when my other party members had died, Sora my Hoothoot, Hokari the Wooper the list goes on and on, seemingly a never ending list of lost friends. But never once had I thought Mikasa would falter, especially not when we were so close, just one Pokemon standing in between us and victory. The world slows to to a crawl as Lance's Dragonite unleashed it's most powerful attack, Outrage. Mikasa was unable to move in time, the paralysis from earlier in the battle stilling my loyal Typhlosion's feet, electric sparks hopping up and down her still body, marred with scars from hard fought battles of the past. She turns to look at me, a sad smile on her face, the fire on her back sputtering out and a glimmer of tears in her eyes. 'Sorry I couldn't take you all the way Ashy'. The Dragonite collides with my precious starter, shoulder burying itself into her stomach, head nailing her neck. Critical hit. Blood spurts from her mouth and in the same instant I sprint towards her, time returning to regular pace as I run. She hits the ground at my feet and I throw myself to my knees, tears blurring my vision.

"N...no Mikasa..." I choke, bile rising in my throat as I look at her beaten body, one look telling my he dragon's attack had crushed her ribs and possible snapped her neck as well. Mikasa turns her head towards me, a trail of blood leaking from the side, pained tears in her eyes. But I see happiness there as well, the same happiness I saw when I first chose the fire type, a Cyndaquil at the time, to be my first companion.

"Di-did I do good Ashy? L-ike I pro-mised I would?" She asks. I give her a watery smile, nodding.

"The best I could have ever asked for." I reply. She smiles, a content look in her eyes before they close, her chest stilling for a final time. An anguished scream rips in way from my throat and I throw myself forward, arms latching around the bloodied fur of my best friend, once so velvety to the touch when I used her as a pillow late at night.

"Ashlyn the battle is not over, you must finish." Lance's commanding voice calls to me, devoid of sympathy. "Unless you wish to forfeit that is." I sit up, wiping the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand. I was not going to give up, not after I lost so many friends to get me here, Mikasa the newest addition to the long list.

"Percy let's finish off this damn dragon." I say softly, pulling my prized Vaporeon's ball from my bag. He flashes out in a brilliant white light, a few burn marks still littering his face from his last hit. I see his teeth clench at the sight of Mikasa, body tensing, a fierce determination shining through the sorrow. This crime would not go unpunished. I use a Full Restore on my watery friend, healing his past damage and the burn as the demon dragon charges forward with another Outrage. It hardly scratches Percy, only enraging my Vaporeon farther. The Dragonite circles back, small wings flapping out of harmony from the confused state that set in after the rage filled attack, leaving Percy the greatest opportunity to strike. Nimbly dodging the off course Hyper Beam sent by the desperate dragon type, as if sensing his doom, Percy readies himself for my command. "Ice Beam" I order and instantly a blue, crystallized laser of frozen water spews from his mouth, nailing the confused dragon. Critical hit. The Dragonite falls and Percy presses his advantage over his fallen foe, planting himself atop the beast, another Ice Beam swirling in his mouth aimed at the unconscious Dragon. Lance freezes, for once at a complete loss on what to do. Percy looks at me, tears swirling in his eyes waiting for the order to let it loose, get revenge. A savage hunger swirls with me, edging me to make the order, the words on the tip of my tongue

"Ice..." Then I stop, thinking of my fallen team.

Sora the excited Hoothoot who wanted more then anything to explore and see the world beyond his protective parents. Turned out they were right to worry when the elder in Bellsprout Tower ordered his

Hoothoot to use Peck which would end in an accidental death.

Hokari the melancholy Wooper who at first despised me for her capture but ended up sacrificing herself to protect me from a stray Razor Leaf from the opponent.

Ken the eccentric Pidgey turned Pidgeotto and nearly Pidgeot at the time of his heartbreaking death at the hands of Chuck's Primeape, his last aerial truck was used to barrel into Zoro and send him tumbling free as rocks buried Ken himself and the ground where Zoro had been hovering moments before.

Arin the Vulpix who bonded instantly with Percy the moment the two met and died to protect him from a savage Dragon Pulse courtesy of Claire's Dragonair. She had died right before the young Eevee's eyes causing him to choose to become a Dragon killer as a Vaporeon.

Mikasa my precious starter who stuck with me through all the pain from day one when I chose her. The day she looked up at me and promised to do her very best to get me to my goal and never once let me down, not even at the end. She wouldn't have been able to stand it if someone else was to die for her.

"Percy stand down" I order, shocking both of the other occupants in the room. My Vaporeon snarled at me.

"No way Ash, this bastard took Mikasa from us! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!" I since slightly at his harsh words, knowing he was only saying them in his grief.

"The battle is over Percy." I say in the calmest voice I can muster, a shake still in its undertone. "As your trainer and your friend I order you to stand down before you do something we'll both regret." A slow relegation of what he was about to really do dawned over him and the icy swirl faded from his mouth as he stepped off the downed opponent allowing Lance to return his Dragonite as Percy plodded over to Mikasa, tail dragging, and collapsed beside her to mourn.

"Congratulations Ashline you have defeated the Elite Four and the Champion, the title of Indigo League Champion is now yours." Lance says dryly as if nothing had ever happened extending his hand to be, the medal that labeled him as League Champ within his fingers. I glance to Mikasa's broken body, Percy huddled miserably beside it. Then my gaze falls back to Lance's extended hand. I raise my own and slap the medal from his hand.

"It wasn't worth it and it never will be. This entire journey was a mistake. You can keep you dumbass medal because unless it can bring back dead friends I'm not interested." I tell him, turning away from his dumbfounded face.

"You're turning down being a Champion just because you lost one stupid Pokémon? Pokémon are meant to battle for their trainers, even if it means death! You don't deserve to be Champion if a single death will make you quit, it means you're weak!" Lance replies to me in a loud voice. My fist shaking with anger and on a dime I whirl around and punch him, sending him falling onto his butt.

"Pokémon aren't just something broken toy you throw out because it's useless! They are living, breathing creatures that don't deserve to die needlessly! You're Dragonite could have just as easily knocked out my Typhlosion but instead killed her on your order! If that's what it means to be Pokémon Champion I'll have none of it but that does not mean you're keeping your job!" I shout at him, letting the tears fall from my eyes without shame. "I'll introduce a new kind of battling, where one aims to knock out opposed to kill needlessly like you!" I reply, scooping up the medal and looking at my broken reflection in it. Maybe if I could do this it would partially repay my team for their sacrifices at last.

**_*Timeskip*_**

I buried Mikasa in the beautiful meadows behind the League building beside my new little Champion hut, the new home coming with the job. The tatters that remained of my team were all there, Percy the Vaporeon, Zoro the Togechic, April the Bellosom, Poof the Amphardos, Ladyseph the Golem, and little Kinchi the Dragtini from the Dragon's den. Together we crowded around the small headstone in the dead of night, the first open chance we had to do so after beating Lance. April hummed a soft lullaby and together we cried as we thought of lost friends until the sun began to peep over the horizon. Together as one we turned to watch its brilliant ascent, lighting the sky in miraculous colors, a silent promise of a new day and new beginnings.

_**I hope you enjoyed my first fanfic on the site! Please tell me what I can improve on and what you liked (or disliked) in a review!**_

_**~Foxx**_


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